An economic analysis of an American ginseng growing operation in a woodlot in Janetville, Ontario

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has been valued for centuries as a medicine, particularly in Asian cultures. It is highly valuable, and as a result it has been poached to endangered levels throughout much of its range. This thesis first reviews the ecology, history, market, cultivation methods and legality of ginseng in Ontario. Second, a business plan for growing and selling ginseng in southern Ontario is presented. This plan shows that American ginseng can be a profitable, long-term crop, and that, when grown as a crop, it can increase the value of private forested land in Ontario versus other crops. Finally, the results of the business plan were compared with a similar study done in New Zealand, where ginseng was grown beneath radiata pine (Pinus radiata D.Don.) plantations. The conclusion of this thesis is that American ginseng has excellent potential as a woodlot crop in southern Ontario

Anders dan we denken; een geseculariseerde benadering van het religieuze

Het religieuze is geen monopolie van welke religie dan ook en is niet voorbehouden aan een bepaald geloof. Het is een menselijk fenomeen dat vitaliserende en vernieuwende krachten met zich mee brengt omdat het op de een of andere manier toegang verschaft tot een ander bewustzijn. Vermoedelijk is het in de lange geschiedenis van de mensheid, te midden van soms uitzichtloze situaties en talloze rampen en verschrikkingen, een belangrijk element geweest bij het overleven. Met het religieuze wordt gedoeld op religieuze ervaringen, belevenissen waarbij je jezelf vergeet, de tijd stil staat en je de wereld als een geheel ziet, momenten dat alles is wat het moet zijn. Deze ervaringen worden ook spirituele of mystieke ervaringen genoemd en worden hier in eerste instantie benaderd vanuit een seculier perspectief. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat er aan deze ervaringen een bepaalde emotie ten grondslag ligt die transcendente gevoelens teweegbrengt. Zo'n ervaring is namelijk bovenal een beleving van heelheid, eenheid en alomvattendheid, kortom grensoverschrijdend. Het is niet uitgesloten dat zo'n ervaring ook het begin vormde van religies of godsdiensten die zijn ontstaan uit vroegere interpretaties van dit religieuze

An economic analysis of an American ginseng growing operation in a woodlot in Janetville, Ontario

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has been valued for centuries as a medicine, particularly in Asian cultures. It is highly valuable, and as a result it has been poached to endangered levels throughout much of its range. This thesis first reviews the ecology, history, market, cultivation methods and legality of ginseng in Ontario. Second, a business plan for growing and selling ginseng in southern Ontario is presented. This plan shows that American ginseng can be a profitable, long-term crop, and that, when grown as a crop, it can increase the value of private forested land in Ontario versus other crops. Finally, the results of the business plan were compared with a similar study done in New Zealand, where ginseng was grown beneath radiata pine (Pinus radiata D.Don.) plantations. The conclusion of this thesis is that American ginseng has excellent potential as a woodlot crop in southern Ontario

deCLUTTER²⁺ – a pipeline to analyze calcium traces in a stem cell model for ventral midbrain patterned astrocytes

Astrocytes are the most populous cell type of the human central nervous system and are essential for physiological brain function. Increasing evidence suggests multiple roles for astrocytes in Parkinson’s disease, nudging a shift in the research focus, which historically pivoted around ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons (vmDANs). Studying human astrocytes and other cell types in vivo remains challenging. However, in vitro-reprogrammed human stem cell-based models provide a promising alternative. Here, we describe a novel protocol for astrocyte differentiation from human stem cell-derived vmDAN-generating progenitors. This protocol simulates the regionalization, gliogenic switch, radial migration and final differentiation that occur in the developing human brain. We characterized the morphological, molecular and functional features of these ventral midbrain patterned astrocytes with a broad palette of techniques and identified novel candidate midbrain-astrocyte specific markers. In addition, we developed a new pipeline for calcium imaging data analysis called deCLUTTER2+ (deconvolution of Ca2+ fluorescent patterns) that can be used to discover spontaneous or cue-dependent patterns of Ca2+ transients. Altogether, our protocol enables the characterization of the functional properties of human ventral midbrain patterned astrocytes under physiological conditions and in disease.</p

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells From Pediatric Coeliac Disease Patients Suggests Potential Pre-Seroconversion Markers

Celiac Disease (CeD) is a complex immune disorder involving villous atrophy in the small intestine that is triggered by gluten intake. Current CeD diagnosis is based on late-stage pathophysiological parameters such as detection of specific antibodies in blood and histochemical detection of villus atrophy and lymphocyte infiltration in intestinal biopsies. To date, no early onset biomarkers are available that would help prevent widespread villous atrophy and severe symptoms and co-morbidities. To search for novel CeD biomarkers, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to investigate PBMC samples from 11 children before and after seroconversion for CeD and 10 control individuals matched for age, sex and HLA-genotype. We generated scRNAseq profiles of 9559 cells and identified the expected major cellular lineages. Cell proportions remained stable across the different timepoints and health conditions, but we observed differences in gene expression profiles in specific cell types when comparing patient samples before and after disease development and comparing patients with controls. Based on the time when transcripts were differentially expressed, we could classify the deregulated genes as biomarkers for active CeD or as potential pre-diagnostic markers. Pathway analysis showed that active CeD biomarkers display a transcriptional profile associated with antigen activation in CD4+ T cells, whereas NK cells express a subset of biomarker genes even before CeD diagnosis. Intersection of biomarker genes with CeD-associated genetic risk loci pinpointed genetic factors that might play a role in CeD onset. Investigation of potential cellular interaction pathways of PBMC cell subpopulations highlighted the importance of TNF pathways in CeD. Altogether, our results pinpoint genes and pathways that are altered prior to and during CeD onset, thereby identifying novel potential biomarkers for CeD diagnosis in blood

Abrogation of Immunogenic Properties of Gliadin Peptides through Transamidation by Microbial Transglutaminase Is Acyl-Acceptor Dependent

Transplantation and autoimmunit

Systematic Prioritization of Candidate Genes in Disease Loci Identifies TRAFD1 as a Master Regulator of IFN gamma Signaling in Celiac Disease

Celiac disease (CeD) is a complex T cell-mediated enteropathy induced by gluten. Although genome-wide association studies have identified numerous genomic regions associated with CeD, it is difficult to accurately pinpoint which genes in these loci are most likely to cause CeD. We used four different in silico approaches-Mendelian randomization inverse variance weighting, COLOC, LD overlap, and DEPICT-to integrate information gathered from a large transcriptomics dataset. This identified 118 prioritized genes across 50 CeD-associated regions. Co-expression and pathway analysis of these genes indicated an association with adaptive and innate cytokine signaling and T cell activation pathways. Fifty-one of these genes are targets of known drug compounds or likely druggable genes, suggesting that our methods can be used to pinpoint potential therapeutic targets. In addition, we detected 172 gene combinations that were affected by our CeD-prioritized genes in trans. Notably, 41 of these trans-mediated genes appear to be under control of one master regulator, TRAF-type zinc finger domain containing 1 (TRAFD1), and were found to be involved in interferon (IFN)gamma signaling and MHC I antigen processing/presentation. Finally, we performed in vitro experiments in a human monocytic cell line that validated the role of TRAFD1 as an immune regulator acting in trans. Our strategy confirmed the role of adaptive immunity in CeD and revealed a genetic link between CeD and IFN gamma signaling as well as with MHC I antigen processing, both major players of immune activation and CeD pathogenesis

H1N1 hemagglutinin-specific HLA-DQ6-restricted CD4+ T cells can be readily detected in narcolepsy type 1 patients and healthy controls

Following the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, an increased risk of narcolepsy type 1 was observed. Homology between an H1N1 hemagglutinin and two hypocretin sequences has been reported. T cell reactivity to these peptides was assessed in 81 narcolepsy type 1 patients and 19 HLA-DQ6-matched healthy controls. HLA-DQ6-restricted H1N1 hemagglutinin-specific T cell responses were detected in 28.4% of patients and 15.8% of controls. Despite structural homology between HLA-DQ6-hypocretin and -H1N1 peptide complexes, T cell cross-reactivity was not detected. These results indicate that it is unlikely that cross-reactivity between H1N1 hemagglutinin and hypocretin peptides presented by HLA-DQ6 is involved in the development of narcolepsy